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Despite the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card being marketed as a travel card, the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card is the more lucrative choice for both your travel and everyday spending as it earns a higher cash-back rate. 

The VentureOne does offer an additional travel perk of auto rental insurance*, but that doesn’t outweigh the value of the Quicksilver’s rewards. The Quicksilver still comes equipped with travel accident insurance*, and neither card has foreign transaction fees.

Which card does it better?

Card feature Winner
Rewards Quicksilver
Welcome bonus Tie
Fees Tie
Travel benefits VentureOne
Intro APR offer Tie

Intro offer: One-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening

APR: 17.99% – 27.99% (Variable)

Intro Purchase APR: 0% intro on purchases for 15 months

Recommended Credit: Excellent, Good

Reward Rates:

  • Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of trip options. Terms apply
  • Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day

Annual Fee: $0

Intro Offer: Earn a bonus of 20,000 miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $200 in travel

APR: 17.99% – 27.99% (Variable)

Intro Purchase APR: 0% intro on purchases for 15 months

Recommended Credit: Excellent, Good

Reward Rates:

  • Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of trip options
  • Earn unlimited 1.25X miles on every purchase, every day.

Annual Fee: $0

Rewards

Winner: Capital One Quicksilver

The Quicksilver offers 1.5% cash back for every purchase, compared to the 1.25x miles per dollar of the VentureOne. They also respectively earn 5% cash back and 5x miles per dollar for rental cars and hotels booked through Capital One Travel.

No matter how you slice it, the Quicksilver will provide more rewards than the VentureOne for the same amount of spending.

Welcome bonus

Winner: Tie

Here are the welcome bonuses for both cards:

  • Capital One VentureOne: Earn a bonus of 20,000 miles once you spend $500 on purchases within three months from account opening
  • Capital One Quicksilver: Earn a $200 cash bonus after spending $500 on purchases within three months from account opening

As long as you choose to redeem your 20,000 miles with the VentureOne for past travel expenses or booking travel through Capital One Travel, the bonus will equal $200 in value. Both welcome bonuses offer the same value for the same amount of spending.

Fees

Winner: Tie

Neither card asks for an annual fee or any foreign transactions fees. They both have late payment fees, a cash advance fee and a balance transfer fee, so neither card gains any ground here.

Travel benefits

Winner: VentureOne

The VentureOne Rewards card has a slight edge here thanks to the addition of its auto rental insurance* benefit. The Quicksilver offers cardholders extended warranty protection* and travel accident insurance*, but no auto rental insurance.

It is worth noting that the Quicksilver has limited redemption options for travel compared to the VentureOne. If you were planning to utilize mile transfers, you could only do so with the VentureOne. However, Capital One doesn’t partner with many US airlines, so unless you mainly travel internationally, you’re still better off utilizing the Quicksilver for its strong rewards.

Intro APR offer

Winner: Tie

Both credit cards offer cardholders the ability to avoid interest charges for new purchases and balance transfers via their introductory APR offers. With either card, people get a 0% intro APR for purchases and balance transfers for 15 months (then 17.99% to 27.99% variable).

During that time, you can pay down existing credit card debt via a balance transfer, or make a large purchase and pay down the balance while it accrues no interest.

Keep in mind both cards feature a 3% balance transfer fee during those 15 months, with no fee after the 15 months are up. But don’t let that dissuade you from utilizing a balance transfer during that time. A balance transfer fee might sound intimidating, but it will often end up saving you money when paired with an introductory APR considering how high interest rates are.

The bottom line

The bottom line is that the Quicksilver is the stronger card thanks to its higher cash-back rate while still offering a few travel-related perks. What the VentureOne has over the Quicksilver — auto rental insurance* — isn’t enough to tip the scales in its favor considering the two cards are on equal footing in many other regards.

FAQs

What’s the difference between a travel rewards card and a general rewards card?

Typically the difference lies in the rewards program and fringe benefits. A travel card may feature travel insurance or airport comforts while a general rewards card may feature perks insuring your purchases. A travel card will likely earn miles or points, while a general rewards card might earn points or cash back.

How do I get covered by my credit card’s insurance offer?

You just need to decline any travel accident insurance offered by the merchant and charge the full amount to your card, whether that be for airfare or a rental car, and you’ll be eligible for insurance.

Why would I want a balance transfer?

Balance transfers are a great tool to use to lower your credit card debt and improve your credit. Even if there is a balance transfer fee, the cost of a one-time payment will typically be better than the cost of paying multiple interest charges at a high APR. By lowering your credit card debt, you’ll also increase your credit scores through lowering your credit utilization ratio, which is the percentage of your overall credit that you’re using.

*Terms, conditions, and exclusions apply. Please refer to your Guide to Benefits for more details.

The editorial content on this page is based solely on objective, independent assessments by our writers and is not influenced by advertising or partnerships. It has not been provided or commissioned by any third party. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products or services offered by our partners.

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